General Assembly Approves Peacekeeping Budget

General Assembly Approves Record UN Peacekeeping Budget

New York, Jun 23 2005

The United Nations General Assembly approved a record-setting $3.2 billion 2005-2006 peacekeeping budget for the UN’s 14 ongoing missions – with some 120,000 troops and civilian police in the field last year – while calling for fiscal discipline, better management and adequate controls over implementation in the face of the current unprecedented surge in peacekeeping operations.

Acting on the recommendations of its Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary), the Assembly adopted a 22-part consensus resolution seeking to elaborate a “coherent and focused” approach to peacekeeping management. It also sought to provide guidance at Headquarters and in the field on the policy to deal with the growth in the number of complexity of missions.

The text addresses all aspects of peacekeeping, ranging from budget presentation and training to the conditions of service, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes, procurement and recruitment in the field.

Among the other actions envisioned by this draft is an annual overview of peacekeeping financing, which should include information on trends in the size, composition and funding of missions, relevant developments, efforts to improve the missions’ functioning, and management priorities for the coming year.

The Assembly also emphasized the need to develop a comprehensive, well defined and coherent policy to prevent and address sexual exploitation and abuse in all UN activities. It also stated that the implementation of a zero-tolerance policy and procedures towards acts of sexual exploitation and abuse should be clearly defined as a core management function, also addressing clear lines of responsibility and accountability relating to non-enforcement of codes of conduct, policies and preventive measures.

ENDS

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